My invention relates to a structure which functions as an elevated stand and container for floral arrangements and plants. More particularly, the present invention, hereinafter referred to as the panel planter, relates to a box which holds flower or plant arrangements while reversibly fastened to the top of a, for example, free standing wall panel, room partition, or any generic wall member. In the preferred embodiment the box interior contains circular raised areas on which to place potted plants, so they can drain properly after being watered. However, these features are not a requirement and objects other than plants and flowers can be placed in the box.
There has been a long-standing need in the floral industry for a modular flower or plant display stand for indoor and outdoor environments. My panel box is easily engaged by a wedge and peg attachment mechanism, so it is easily moved from panel to panel. There are also constraints of weight, costs and rigidity of existing planters and boxes which cannot easily be moved, grouped or rearranged individually within practical cost and time constraints.
My panel planter is easily engaged by devices, hereinafter referred to as attachments, these attachments further comprised of wedge members and peg members. Using these attachments, a planter box is easily tightened to fit the contour of a panel or other narrow horizontal surface of any generic wall member.
Others have suggested numerous display devices for holding plants or flowers securely atop a fence or panel. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,015,545 (Stankowitz) discloses a support bracket designed to be mounted between and supported by wall partitions. The support bracket is incapable of supporting anything except the lightest of objects, such that heavy plants could not be placed in the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,091 (Wolff) discloses a plurality of wall partitions joined together at their vertical edges. A beam member is supported at each of its end edges with a hanger which is inserted between the wall partitions where they join together. Various kinds of racks are designed to be securely suspended from one or more beams. However, the racks project a substantial distance from the partition walls and would make already crowded work conditions deteriorate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,559,738 (Helfman) discloses three prototypes of a planter: (1) one which attaches to the top of a partition wall by a groove in the bottom surface of the planter; (2) one which attaches to the top by brackets; and (3) one which hangs from the partition by means of brackets or an extension of the planter designed to hook over the top of the partition wall.
However, the numerous prototypes of Helfman's brackets lack the flexibility, adaptability, and strength of my novel attachment. In the preferred embodiment my invention is comprised of two freely movable parts made of clear lucite or polyethylene. My invention comprises no brackets of any kind whatsoever.
By locking a peg member into a wedge member, this unique structure, hereinafter referred to as the attachment, in turn fits into the serrated(comprised of ridges and valleys)surface of the bottom of the planter. Four of such attachments, when strategically placed in the preferred embodiment, can grasp the top of any wall member, such as a railing, partition, or shelf. However, for an elongated or differently shaped planter, more or fewer attachments are within the scope of this invention.
My panel planter is rigidly fastened, but it can be easily removed and relocated. In the preferred embodiment the cost of my panel box is economical, being made of lightweight plastic and clear rigid polypropylene attachments. However, other materials are suitable, such as plastics, wood and metals. These materials are also within the scope of my invention, especially for use of the panel planter in an outdoor environment.
In sum, none of the foregoing display structures have attachments, comprising peg and wedge members, which easily and rigidly support a series of flower pots atop a panel or fence or other wall member. With my invention, the rectangular box can hold several flower or plant arrangements in a leakproof, watertight manner. My box also allows drainage so that roots emanating from the holes at the bottom of flower pots can reach the appropriate level of moisture.
Alternatively, the box can be filled with soil or water and the plants and/or flowers need not be confined to pots.
The above summarizes the preferred embodiment of my invention. In another embodiment, there is a specially graded circular template system. The attachments are easily adjustable to any width for a surface of a wall member: between approximately four and one quarter inches and approximately one and one quarter inches in the preferred embodiment. This template system correlates the orientation of the attachments to the width of the wall member, as described in more detail below.
In sum, coding templates for positioning the attachments are also within the scope of my invention. The templates correspond to serrations(ridges and valleys), on the lower surface of the planter box. The coding system of the templates brings the attachments to within approximately one eighth of an inch of a respective side of a wall member.